don't hide from me (I know your secret)
by ChocolateWonder
Summary: "Of course I do trust you, Gellert," Dumbledore responded wearily. Harry nearly didn't stifle his gasp of shock. Gellert? Was it plausible that he was seeing Gellert Grindelwald? In which Harry discovers a dark secret of Dumbledore's before he's supposed to, all because of a dwarf seeking revenge. Written for QL Round 6.


**Written for…**

 **QL Round 6: (Harpies, Chaser 2)** _Write a story inspired by the movie "Time Bandits,"_ **Additional Prompts:** (word) coast, (location) Nurmengard, (word) token

 **Hogwarts Relay Race:** 1610 meters

 **Hogwarts Writing Club:** _World Lion Day- Write about a Gryffindor_

 **Note: This is a slight AU in which Harry finds out about Dumbledore and Grindelwald earlier than in canon.**

 **Word count: 1678**

* * *

Harry awoke to a sharp _tap-tap_ against his window. For a wild moment, he thought of dementors and the Death Eaters penetrating through the protection his mother's sacrifice had provided him.

Climbing out of bed quietly out as to not arouse his aunt and uncle, who were slumbering peacefully in the next room, he put on his glasses and tiptoed to the window, his wand gripped tightly in one hand. If it was a Death Eater, he would not be completely defenseless, even though he would break one of the Ministry's laws. Harry didn't care; at least he would have some proof of Voldemort's return.

Another _tap-tap._ Harry tensed, his wand outstretched and his other arm soundlessly sliding the window open.

To his astonishment, six dwarfs were hanging precariously upside down from the roof's edge, their small eyes glowing in the light of the moon. Multi-colored hats which Aunt Petunia would disapprove of rested upon their small heads.

As Harry stared at them, his jaw ajar, one of the dwarves effortlessly swung down and landed inside without making any noise. The other five followed, the last landing clumsily and a loud thump echoed throughout the room, causing Uncle Vernon to stir slightly but not waking him up.

" _Shh_ ," Harry hissed, snapping out of his daze, and carefully closing the window as to not disturb his uncle further.

"Who are you?" he whispered to the tallest dwarf, who appeared to be the leader judging by his cool demeanor.

"I am Merlin," said the tall dwarf in a throaty voice, bowing regally, "Not the famed human wizard you may have heard of, but I was named after him. And you must be Harry Potter."

"Yes, I am," confirmed Harry, who was gradually gaining confidence. "Why are you here? What could you possibly want of me?"

Merlin studied the boy who towered over him. He held the weight of the world upon his shoulders, and yet here he was, in baggy clothes drooping around his skinny frame.

"I'm here with an urgent task for you to complete," the dwarf replied solemnly.

"Does Professor Dumbledore know?" Harry was utterly bewildered at the bizarre scene in front of him.

Merlin snorted. "Albus Dumbledore has wronged us in the past," he said cynically, "We have no reason to bend to his will."

Harry was suddenly intrigued. "What is this mission you speak of?"

Merlin motioned to the other five dwarfs, who Harry had almost neglected to notice. One of them removed a small golden chain from his neck which Harry recognized as a miniature Time-Turner, which was hanging from the chain. It was about the size of Harry's ring finger and as the dwarf passed it over to Merlin, Harry's anticipation mounted.

"It is a Time-Turner," Merlin clarified, alleviating Harry's curiosity, "but this is a special kind of Time-Turner. It is so rare that not even Dumbledore has never heard of it. Nobody knows of this, as it is a well-kept secret amongst us dwarves."

"Then why are you revealing this to me?" Harry asked, befuddled.

"Because we believe you're the one," Merlin said simply.

As much as his excitement was rising, frustration was also setting in.

"Now listen here," hissed Harry indignantly, "I don't know who you think you are, but barging into my room and giving me vague information doesn't help me at all, except adding more to my plate. If you haven't noticed already, the world is deprecating me because of my nonsensical claim of Voldemort's resurrection. So just give me the information or get the hell out of my room!"

He sounded remarkably like his uncle as he brazenly said those words and Hermione with his broad range of vocabulary. He surmised he'd been hanging around them too much.

Merlin seemed unfazed by Harry's muffled outburst. Meanwhile, in the next room, the bedsprings creaked as Uncle Vernon got up to use the loo.

Soft light flooded under Harry's door and he practically flung himself into bed, throwing the threadbare blanket over his head, but not before hurriedly ushering the dwarfs into his closet.

The toilet flushed as Harry held his breath. He heard the faucet turn on and his uncle wash his hands, before finally turning off the faucet and the light and exiting the loo. He heard Uncle Vernon mutter " _Bloody bladder issues"_ as he passed Harry's door. Harry released a sigh of relief as he heard the bedsprings creak noisily and the deafening snores fill the room once more, drowning out his next actions.

Harry swung his legs over the edge of the bed and tiptoed over to closet, opening the door. The dwarves gazed up at him with bright eyes. Merlin's was the most penetrating.

"I suppose you want to hear about your mission now," he said smoothly.

Harry nodded eagerly.

"But first," the dwarf continued, causing Harry's shoulders to slump disappointedly, "you must know about the Time-Turner's significance and appropriate usage."

Harry nodded again.

"This small, seemingly unimportant token has been passed down through generations. Whoever possesses this at the current time means they are considered nobility and possibly the leader of the dwarf community."

"This trinket has the attributes of a regular Time-Turner, but only sends the user back to momentous occasions, like the goblin rebellions and such."

Harry's heartbeat quickened. "So, this means—"

"—you can prevent your parents' deaths," Merlin confirmed, "However, you would have to go back a tremendous amount of time in order to arrive at the closest major event before your parents' deaths, which was, I believe, You-Know-Who's initial rise twenty-one years ago."

Harry did a hasty calculation in his head. "1974?"

"Correct. You'd have to wait six to seven years to warn them and try not to tamper with the future. But that's not the reason I've brought the Time-Turner."

Harry eyed the golden chain warily. "Then what?"

"I know you resent Albus Dumbledore for locking you up all summer without any news," said Merlin sympathetically.

Harry's eyebrows knitted together. "How do you know that?"

"I have my ways. He is not disclosing any information because he fears for your safety."

Anger bubbled up inside of Harry. "I can take care of myself!"

"Shh," murmured Merlin soothingly, "you've validated that to the world many times. Now is the right time to prove your resilience to your superiors."

"Yes," said Harry, the steely flame of determination burning steadily in his vindictive green eyes, "I will."

"Then all you must slide this Time-Turner onto your finger, twist the center, and concentrate on the place you want to visit most. I suggest the completion of Nurmengard."

Harry frowned, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "What's that?"

The dwarf smiled mysteriously, his eyes sparkling. "You'll see. For now, think of a prison."

Harry slipped on the necklace, now a ring, grabbed his wand, shut his eyes and focused on this unknown Nurmengard, envisioning a cage-like building with intimidating barriers. He twisted the hourglass in the center and felt a strange sensation encompassing his stomach.

...cCc...

Harry felt his feet land on solid ground and promptly sighed in relief, glancing around at his new surroundings. It was a rather unfamiliar environment but somehow, it calmed him.

His keen ears picked up on the sound of waves lapping against a shore. Now interested, he ascended a nearby hill which lead to a rocky cliff. Wand held out before him, Harry crested the cliff and was awed by what he saw.

Nurmengard was situated just off of the coast, on an island isolated by water. It reminded Harry of Azkaban.

The building itself was tall, the walls were made of black rock, and it appeared gloomy. Overall, it was a rather frightening.

Harry spotted two men standing just outside of the water's reach. They seemed to be admiring the building from afar. Curious, Harry descended the cliff and found a path leading to the beach.

He soon tracked down the pair of men. Upon their entry into his peripheral vision, Harry dove behind a cluster of bushes.

"—sure?" One man, sporting the beginnings of a beard, asked the question Harry had yet to know of. With an inaudible gasp, Harry identified the man as Dumbledore.

"I am. Are you?" asked the other man, whose cold voice sent chills racing down Harry's spine. He sounded awfully like Voldemort.

But it couldn't be. If Dumbledore looked this young, then there was no possibility that Voldemort even existed, let alone his parents.

Dumbledore was speaking again; Harry strained his ears in order to not miss anything.

"Yes," replied Dumbledore, though a hint of uncertainty laced his voice. The man seemed to perceive the slight hesitation.

"You don't trust me." His icy voice pierced the tranquility of the beach.

"Of course I trust you, Gellert," Dumbledore responded wearily.

Harry nearly didn't stifle his gasp of shock. _Gellert? Was it plausible that he was seeing Gellert Grindelwald?_

Harry could not believe what he was witnessing. And yet, there he was; Grindelwald in the flesh, talking to Albus Dumbledore.

He couldn't wait to tell Merlin. He'd just exposed one vulnerability of his so-called anti-Dark professor.

But he had to stay and eavesdrop on their conversation a little longer before he reported back to Merlin.

The two conversed about the prison a little longer, praising the solidity of it. Soon, they were going to be imprisoning Muggleborns and Muggles. Harry's throat was hurting from holding back a yell of indignance. Dumbledore couldn't have believed in these absurd things?

But then again, he was learning a lot of juicy new information about Dumbledore's past.

Finally, the two men concluded their conversation by agreeing to take a brief stroll down the beach before returning to their respective residences.

Harry's brain was whirling with this new load of knowledge. Upon his return to Hogwarts, he was going to question the Headmaster about this scandalous exchange. He was going to reveal Albus Dumbledore's true identity; that the man who everyone believed to be good had actually consorted with a famous criminal.

He was going to uncover the real Albus Dumbledore.

* * *

 ***Note: It may seem that Harry is a little too vengeful, but you have to see it from his perspective. He was really upset when Dumbledore isolated him all summer and he was forced to live with the Dursleys.**


End file.
